How the Girl Scout cookie crumbles into recipes
Editor’s note: This story originally appeared in the Star-Telegram in 2014.
I should probably not be confessing this during Girl Scout cookie season, but I was nearly kicked out of Brownies.
There was a ceremony — a big deal, supposedly, where you cross a fake bridge into Girl Scout-land - and I had to sit in the corner while the other 9-year-olds practiced the bridge walk. I think I got in trouble for talking.
I wanted to be a Girl Scout. I sold tons of cookies — the most in my troop — as a Brownie (OK, my dad bought most of them). I loved the idea of collecting the most badges and of wearing them across my chest like a prize ribbon at the fair. But as I sat in the auditorium at Woodrow Wilson Elementary School that afternoon and listened to the Girl Scout leader discuss the merits of trading in my brown dress for a green one, I just couldn’t do it.
That bridge had not only not been crossed, it had been burned.
Cookie season always reminds me of this. Sure, it still stings a little, but during the past 30, 40 years or so, I’ve developed a reliable coping strategy: a few boxes of Peanut Butter Patties (aka “Tagalongs”), stashed in my freezer, eaten in twos and threes, until the next six-week selling season rolls around again.
I might as well tell you, these cookies that remind me of Reese’s peanut butter cups are my favorites. They are not just fine on their own — they are fabulous! As are many of the other varieties.
But I challenged myself to come up with recipes using Girl Scout cookies. And I love a challenge, especially one that involves cookies. There’s no sew-on badge for my efforts, but these resulting sweet treats — a raspberry tart, peanut-butter blondies, mint ice cream and apple-cranberry crisp — are reward enough.
Ellise Pierce is the Cowgirl Chef and author of “Cowgirl Chef: Texas Cooking With a French Accent” (Running Press, $25). www.cowgirlchef.com; @cowgirlchef.
Girl Scout cookie wine pairings
Even though the cookies can be pretty great crushed into milkshakes, straight out of the freezer or eaten just about anywhere, the folks at the Vivino wine app insist that if you want to take your cookies to the next level, you’ll need to pair them with wine.
Vivino, which has more than 13 million members and allows users to take a photo of a wine label or wine list and receive ratings, reviews and average prices, has put together a guide to pairing wine with your favorite Girl Scout cookies.
Jessica Norris, wine director at Del Frisco’s Double Eagle Steakhouse in New York City and Tracy Byrnes, Vivino partner and wine expert, came up with 12 wines to pair with 12 cookies.
Check your local liquor store, wine shop or better grocery store for availability or recommendations for similar wines. It’s also important to remember that the bottle of wine you already have in your wine fridge will also make an excellent selection. Cheers.
Thin Mints and Brunello: If you’re a Thin Mints fan, you’ll want to select a bottle of Brunello, a DOCG wine from Tuscany, made exclusively with Sangiovese grapes. According to the guide, the wine’s tart, dried red fruits and herbs give the wine “enough gumption to cut the chocolate.”
Norris and Byrnes suggest a 2003 Lisini Brunello di Montalcino, a 2007 Ciacci Piccolomini d’Aragona Brunello Di Montalcino Pianrosso or a 2009 Marchesi Antinori Pian delle Vigne Brunello di Montalcino.
Caramel deLites or Samoas with Rioja: These caramel, chocolate and coconut cookies pair well with an aged Rioja, which can stand up to the cookie’s many flavor profiles.
Norris and Byrnes suggest a 2004 La Rioja Alta Rioja Gran Reserva 904, a 2007 CVNE Imperial Rioja Gran Reserva and a 2006 Beronia Rioja Gran Reserva.
Peanut Butter Patties or Tagalongs and Amarone: These cookies require a big wine, such as an Amarone. This is a rich, dry wine from the Veneto region of Italy, made with mostly Corvina grapes.
Bottle suggestions include a 2009 Bussola Amarone della Valpolicella Classico, a 2011 La Colombaia La Colombaia Amarone della Valpolicella and a 2010 Allegrini Amarone Della Valpolicella Classico.
Trefoils and German riesling: This simple shortbread cookie doesn’t require more than an off-dry German riesling.
Recommendations include a 2014 Schmitt Sohne Relax Riesling, a 2014 Dr. Loosen Kabinett Blue Slate Riesling and a 2012 Heinz Eifel Mosel Auslese Riesling.
Do-si-dos and California zinfandel: For a combination that tastes like a peanut butter and jelly sandwich, try a California zinfandel.
Bottle suggestions include a 2012 Michael David Rage Zinfandel, a 2013 Robert Biale Vineyards Black Chicken Zinfandel and a 2013 Turley Old Vines Zinfandel.
Cranberry Citrus Crisps and New Zealand pinot noir: The wine’s bright red fruit will complement the cookie’s citrus flavors.
Bottle suggestions include a 2011 Amisfield Central Otago Pinot Noir, 2014 Kim Crawford Pinot Noir and 2013 Dog Point Pinot Noir.
Lemonades and Roero Arneis: Apparently, a zesty lemon-icing-topped shortbread cookie deserves a zesty white Italian wine.
Suggestions include a 2014 Bruno Giacosa Roero Arneis, a 2013 Vietti Arneis Roero and a 2012 Monchiero Carbone Cecu D’la Biunda Roero Arneis.
Thanks-a-Lot cookies and Bandol Rouge: These shortbread cookies have a layer of fudge on the bottom. For a spicy wine that complements the chocolate, try a Bandol Rouge, made with at least 50 percent Mourvedre grapes.
Norris and Byrnes suggest a 2013 Domaine Tempier Bandol Rouge.
Trios and Washington State syrah: For a wine that works well with these peanut butter and chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, try a Washington State syrah, which, according to the guide, has dark berry flavors.
Look for the 2012 Novelty Hill Columbia Valley Syrah, a 2012 Charles Smith K Vintners Milbrandt Syrah or a 2011 L’Ecole No. 41 Syrah.
Star-Telegram archives
Mint ice cream with Thin Mints
Makes about 1 quart
- 2 cups whole milk
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1/2 cup packed fresh mint leaves
- 1 cup cream
- 5 egg yolks
- 10 Thin Mint cookies, crushed
1. Warm the milk, sugar and mint leaves in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Pour the cream in a bowl with a colander on top.
3. When the milk mixture is hot and steaming, turn off the heat, cover and let steep for an hour. Remove the mint leaves, then reheat the milk over medium heat again.
4. In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks.
5. Pour a little bit of the warmed milk into the egg yolks and whisk continuously, then a little bit more until the yolks are warmed through. Add the yolks to the saucepan. Stir until the mixture thickens and coats the back of a wooden spoon. Pour through the colander, mix with the cream and let cool. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate until well chilled.
6. Churn the ice cream according to the ice cream maker’s instructions. Add the crushed Thin Mints to the container you will be pouring the ice cream into. Add the ice cream and stir so that the cookies are evenly distributed, then pop into the freezer until firm.
Nutritional analysis per 1/2-cup serving: 272 calories, 15 grams fat, 30 grams carbohydrates, 5 grams protein, 167 milligrams cholesterol, 82 milligrams sodium, trace dietary fiber, 49 percent of calories from fat.
Peanut butter blondies with Peanut Butter Patties
Makes 16
- 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup flour
- 1 stick butter, melted
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 1/2 cup smooth peanut butter, such as Skippy
- 1 egg
- 8 Peanut Butter Patties, crushed
1. Line an 8-inch-by-8-inch pan with parchment or foil and preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together the sea salt and flour. Set this aside.
3. Put the melted butter, brown sugar and peanut butter in the mixer bowl and combine. Add the egg and beat until the color changes to light yellow — a few minutes on high will do it.
4. Add the flour mixture and gently mix. Fold in the crushed cookies.
5. Pour into the pan and slide into the oven. Bake for 25 to 35 minutes or until the edges brown. Be sure not to overcook. (Gooey is gooooood.) Serve right away.
Nutritional analysis per serving: 198 calories, 12 grams fat, 20 grams carbohydrates, 4 grams protein, 29 milligrams cholesterol, 188 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber, 53 percent of calories from fat.
Three-ingredient raspberry tart
Makes 1 (11-inch) tart
- 1 (9-ounce) box Trefoils shortbread cookies
- 1 stick butter, softened
- 1/2 cup raspberry jam
- Powdered sugar, for dusting (optional)
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
2. Put the cookies in the food processor and pulse until finely ground. Add the butter and pulse until the mixture comes together. Press into a tart shell and bake for 10 minutes or until slightly firm and browned. Let cool completely.
3. Spread the raspberry jam into the tart shell, sprinkle with a dusting of powdered sugar and serve.
Nutritional analysis per serving, based on 10: 246 calories, 14 grams fat, 31 grams carbohydrates, 1 gram protein, 25 milligrams cholesterol, 205 milligrams sodium, 1 gram dietary fiber, 49 percent of calories from fat.
Apple-cranberry crisp
Makes 2
- 7 Cranberry Citrus Crisps
- 2 tablespoons butter, softened
- 1 Granny Smith apple, peeled, cored and cut into 1-inch cubes
- 1/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1/4 cup dried cranberries
1. To make topping: Place cookies in food processor and pulse until finely ground; add the butter and pulse until the mixture comes together. Refrigerate until firm. (You may do this ahead of time.)
2. In a bowl, toss apples with the brown sugar, lemon juice, cornstarch and cranberries.
3. Preheat oven to 375 degrees and put two (4-ounce) ramekins on a cookie sheet. Divide the apple-cranberry mixture between them, making sure to pile up the apples as much as possible — there will be shrinkage. Add as much topping as you’d like, slide into the oven and bake for 45 minutes, or until the apples are cooked and the top is brown. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.
Cowgirl tip: This recipe easily doubles, triples … you get the idea.
Nutritional analysis per crisp: 350 calories, 15 grams fat, 53 grams carbohydrates, 2 grams protein, 31 milligrams cholesterol, 187 milligrams sodium, 2 grams dietary fiber, 38 percent of calories from fat.
This story was originally published January 30, 2017 at 10:50 AM with the headline "How the Girl Scout cookie crumbles into recipes."